Slush on the side of the road contributed to this accident that sent a 5-year-old Belding boy to the hospital with a head injury. Post photo by J. Reed.

A 5-year-old boy was sent to the hospital with a head injury Monday afternoon, after the SUV he was riding in struck a tree.

The accident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. Monday, January 28. According to Kent County Sheriff Deputy Brad Mercer, a Belding woman was headed north on Pine Lake Avenue, in Nelson Township, when her vehicle left the east side of the road and struck a tree.

The woman’s son, a five-year-old, was unresponsive when paramedics arrived on the scene, and he was transported to the hospital by ambulance, with a head injury. Aeromed was unable to fly.

The driver has been identified as Amanda Phillips, 24. Her son is being treated for a fractured skull and bruised lung. He is expected to survive.

Police said the woman lost control in the slush on the side of the road.

Both Sand Lake Fire and Rescue and Cedar Springs Fire and Rescue assisted at the scene.